Wording for Gate Sign

[monstersinthedungeon]

Could someone please help me with wording for a gate sign?

Some stupid woman (total stranger) opened the farm gate into our house yard this morning, drove up to the house and left the gate wide open. Our dogs were loose, it was lucky they didn't hurl down the driveway and onto the road. The gate is left closed for a reason - young dogs in training, still not 100% recall, thank goodness they listened to me this morning. To me a closed gate says DON'T ENTER without announcing your arrival.

I gave her a piece of my mind and pointed out that there is a sign on the gate saying Be Aware of Dogs Do Not Enter  "Well I thought it was my friend's house" she snapped at me, jumped back in her car and in a spray of gravel was gone. I am still shaking, it gave me such a fright - everyone else has always driven up to the gate and tooted their horn and waited to be let in.

So I need to make up a ginormous sign for simple-minded people like her, but can't quite get the wording right.

Bascially along the lines of Dogs loose, don't enter, stay here and toot your horn and wait for us to let you in - but more concise.

I have written:

NO ENTRY: DOGS LOOSE!

Please sound horn for attention.

but it sounds pompous, the word attention is wrong but I can't think of a suitable alternative?

[grandmoon]

I have seem a notice on a farm gate which read.

Shut the bloody gate

That means you.

[monstersinthedungeon]

:^O

That's a good one, grandmoon. But I don't want them to open the bloody gate in the first place! :^O

[aspie*mum]

I would make it even clearer - your friends will know to toot the horn anyways, it's more for randoms.

DO NOT ENTER - DANGEROUS DOGS!

Please sound horn for attention.

Some people will not learn unless they think they are in possible danger.  I am not implying that your dog is dangerous at all.  At my parents house people were CONSTANTLY coming in the back gate and leaving the gate open - and when our dog was there he would run out and go AWOL.

So I put up a sign

DO NOT ENTER - DANGEROUS DOG!

Please use front door.

Now, my dog isn't dangerous at all.  He's a white ball of fluff with legs so short he struggles to get up and down stairs - but he's also an escape artist.  It just kind of makes people think twice if they think there is a dangerous dog.

[aspie*mum]

or maybe less harsh

WARNING: DOGS ON PROPERTY

Please notify owner via car horn before entering.

Maybe stating dangerous dogs is not a great idea as your friends/family might think your dogs have gone feral.

[katydidthat]

BEWARE OF THE DOGS.  SOUND HORN FOR ATTENTION.  

[monstersinthedungeon]

AspieMum, thanks for your input.

I would like to put that, but I was under the vague impression that if you had something like Dangerous Dog or Beware of Dog on a sign, it was something along the lines of an admission of guilt; i.e., if anyone got bitten by a dog on your property and you had a sign up saying the dog was dangerous, you were automatically liable?

[mtnlane]

Monsters,

I have very much enjoyed reading your other thread and your recounting of trials and tribulations since you have moved to your property but most of all - your successes!  Very sad of course, to read about the loss of your beloved dog, handled with such love and sensitivity by you and your husband.  Such a super thread though 😄

Perhaps consider putting a padlock on your gate to stop a recurrence of what you have just described?

Your friends would know to toot to get your attention and others would be stopped from repeating such inconsiderate behaviour?  Not everyone is attuned to the 'leave the gate as you found it' nature of rural living 🙂

Laney

[aspie*mum]

The dangerous dog sign laws are quite different to the USA and UK as they are in Australia.

BUT in short, if someone gets bitten by your dog (in my case a maltese X) whilst illegally entering my property - they'll be in a hell of a lot more trouble for the break and enter than I would be for the dog bite anyway.  Australia isn't the USA, people tend not to litigate for things like that.  

So you can always go with the Dogs on property?  

[*mrgrizz*]

every time you enter or leave your property, you need to get out of the car to open the gate?

you may as well put a lock on it.